Delhi Police on Saturday refuted allegations made by the male friend of gang-rape victim about delay in taking them to hospital and said that PCR vans reached the spot within no time after receiving the call.

Addressing a press conference, Joint Commissioner of Police (South-West)
Vivek Gogia dismissed allegations that police response was tardy and the PCR vans wasted time in taking them to a hospital by arguing over jurisdiction of the case.

"There was no issue over jurisdiction of the case as PCR vans do not operate under police stations and their operation is regulated by control room at police headquarters," he said.

He said the control room received a call about the incident at 10:21 PM on December 16 and a PCR van Z-54 was assigned the call at 10:24 PM. But another PCR E-74 van reached the spot first on its own at 10:27 PM while the Z-54 reached there at 10:29 PM.

He said the police personnel on Z-54 van left the spot with the victims at 10:39 PM after arranging bedsheet from a nearby hotel to cover both the victims, he said.

"The victim were transferred to Safdarjung Hospital at 10.55 PM. These details have been ascertained from the logs generated by Global Positioning System," he said.

"It is also clarified that PCR vans are not concerned with jurisdiction. They move or response to distress calls irrespective of their jurisdiction and to take them to designated hospital," he said.

On claims that the victims were not taken to a nearby private hospital, Gogia said there are notified designated multi-disciplinary hospital where the victims of medico-legal cases are taken.

He said the male friend was discharged from Safdarjung Hospital after "first aid and treatment within a few hours" of being brought to the hospital.

About the nature of his injuries, Gogia said the hospital had assessed him and police has no authority on this.

Queried whether the male friend's interview will affect the case, he said, "our aim is to get the appropriate punishment for the criminals very fast. I cannot comment more on this as it is sub-judice," he said.

Breaking his silence, the male friend of the Delhi gangrape victim last night came on TV and severely criticised the Delhi Police for its tardy response and bemoaned public apathy after both of them had been badly injured and thrown out of the bus after she was gangraped by six men.